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SCOOPLET ... NAM BOARD MEETING LINEUP: The National Association of Manufacturers is hosting its fall board of directors meeting this week. The two-day event begins Wednesday and will bring the trade association's leadership to Washington, D.C. The board will hear from actor and director Gary Sinise on issues related to veteran training. They'll also be joined by Gen. Michael Hayden, who will talk about global challenges faced by manufacturers. SAP AG CEO Bill McDermott and BNSF Railway Company Chairman and CEO Matt Rose will talk about technology and infrastructure issues.

ML STRATEGIES HIRES SHIN: ML Strategies has hired Andrew Shin as director of health care policy and life sciences, the firm announced Wednesday. Shin has served as a health policy and market analyst. He's also worked at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Massachusetts Hospital Association, Harvard School of Public Health, Dana Farber Cancer Institute and on Capitol Hill. "Andy’s background and expertise enhances the strength of our team and will be invaluable in helping clients adapt to the changing environment and advocating for their interests," said Stephen Tocco, president and CEO of ML Strategies.

GOOD WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON where it’s the 275th day of the year. There are 90 days left. It’s also the 478th anniversary of the European discovery of Montreal. French explorer Jacques Cartier visited the native village of Hochelaga — which sat on the site of present-day McGill University (PI’s alma mater) — on Oct. 2, 1535. Send your lobbying news, gossip, tips and scoops to btau@politico.com. And keep up with PI on Twitter by following @ByronTau or @PoliticoPI.

DUSABLE TO WORK FOR MALAYSIA: Dusable Capital Management — a Washington, D.C.-based private-equity firm — has inked a contract with the government of Malaysia with an advocacy component. According to documents filed with the Department of Justice, Dusable will serve as the investment adviser to a private equity fund with which the government of Malaysia's development fund will be a limited partner. The fund is working on a solar energy project in the country. As part of its work, Dusable will "encourage U.S. government officials to provide non-financial support for the Malaysian solar energy project." Dusable has no K Street firms or lobbying help, according to the Senate database. See the filing here: http://1.usa.gov/154hLlc

MEGAN GRANT JOINS GPG: CNN spokeswoman Megan Grant is jumping downtown. She starts Monday at the strategic communications division of the Glover Park Group. "After more than seven unforgettable years, today is my last day at CNN," Grant wrote in an email to sources and colleagues. "On Monday, I start my next adventure."

GRANTS.GOV UNAFFECTED BY SHUTDOWN: The shutdown of the federal government has not affected the daily release of federal grant opportunities through grants.gov or the daily publication of the Federal Register. "These two services are critical to those of us who scour the landscape for federal opportunities for our clients and strategic partners," Mike Fulton, president of the Washington office of the Arnold Agency, told PI. Lobbying on grants and contracts has only increased in importance after the earmark ban was instituted in 2010.

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MANATT TO LOBBY ON OBESITY, HORSES: The Professional Recreation Organization has brought on Manatt, Phelps & Phillips to work on issues related to obesity and thoroughbred horses in the farm bill. Yes, you read that right. The company — which runs a number of Washington state sports clubs in Seattle and Bellevue — is lobbying on two issues close to co-founder Mark Dedomenico’s heart. Former Rep. Dennis Cardoza, managing director of federal government affairs at Manatt, said the company is now looking for research opportunities related to obesity in the farm bill. Dedomenico — a cardiac surgeon who co-founded the fitness company with tennis pro Dick Knight — has spent the last 15 years working on the fitness program he developed. In addition, Dedomenico, a lover and owner of thoroughbred horses, is interested in the bill’s potential to help rehabilitate retired racehorses. Cardoza, a former member of the House Agriculture Committee, will lobby for Manatt.

LOBBYIST CAN’T STOP, WON’T STOP: Far from relaxing on the links or taking boozy two-hour lunches, Beltway lobbyists are making their normal load of Hill meetings and client work happen — in spite of a federal government operating without hundreds of thousands of staffers and a congressional stalemate over Obamacare and the budget. “I’ve been on the Hill all day,” David Urban, a lobbyist with the American Continental Group, told POLITICO on Tuesday. But, he added, “it’s been challenging logistically to get things done.” Other lobbyists echoed that they were working a normal work day — with a fair number of logistical challenges added into the mix. “I went to a 7:45 a.m. breakfast on the Hill this morning with two congressmen — it was packed and they were on time,” said Brian Johnson, a tax and trade lobbyist at the American Petroleum Institute. “With long lines at all the congressional buildings, I’m thankful I’ve built relationships where folks on the Hill will just take a call — most of them, that is.” More here: http://politi.co/1bv4uDM

POLICE GROUP IRKED BY MOTOROLA LOBBYING: Telecom firm Motorola Solutions drew the ire of a national police group after one of the company’s consultants urged Virginia cops to contact state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli with criticisms about a $7 billion project to create a new post-Sept. 11 wireless network for first responders. The consultant met in September with Virginia representatives of the Fraternal Order of Police, documents and sources indicate. In a follow-up email after the meeting, the consultant urged the trade union’s members to relay criticisms about the network to Cuccinelli, the state’s Republican candidate for governor, as well as Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), who heads a committee that determines its budget. More for Pros here, by POLITICO’s Tony Romm: https://www.politicopro.com/go/?id=26405

K STREET SALARIES NOT COMMONLY $500K: Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) caused a stir on Capitol Hill recently when he complained that he was “stuck” making $172,000 a year, while his younger aides cashed out on K Street for $500,000 a year. But Roll Call throws some cold water on the notion of aides jumping to K Street and making that kind of money. “It’s the rare congressional aide who can decamp for a lobbying job and command half a million dollars a year in compensation. And in the current K Street economy, hiring managers get jittery at the prospect of bringing on new employees who don’t come with a book of client business and a record of getting paid to effectively persuade. … Despite Gingrey’s comments, middling staffers with 10-12 years of experience would be lucky to get $300,000 and are more likely to fetch $150,000.” More here: http://bit.ly/19YEIG7

ICYMI: POLITICO’S GUIDE TO OBAMACARE — Ready to set the record straight on what’s really in the law? Check out POLITICO Pro’s new, comprehensive guide to the law — just in time for the launch of Obamacare enrollment. “Understanding Obamacare: POLITICO’s Guide to the Affordable Care Act” is a detailed, plain-English explainer of how the law is supposed to work and how it might work in reality — and it’s loaded with fact checks of the talking points both sides are throwing around as the Obamacare debate heats up. It’s POLITICO’s first-ever policy guide, and it covers both the politics and the nuts and bolts. The guide, written by Pro’s David Nather, is now live on the website, where you can read just the chapters you want or download the whole thing as a pdf. Check it out: http://politi.co/17m842j

NOW LIVE: PRO AGRICULTURE — DON'T MISS OUT!: The second of three new POLITICO Pro policy sections is officially live! Pro Agriculture offers subscribers access to high-impact, high-velocity coverage of agriculture, delivering exclusive real-time news and analysis and an early-bird edition of Morning Agriculture — giving you the edge you need to do your job. Interested? Email info@politicopro.com or call (703) 341-4600.

ELSEWHERE IN THE INFLUENCE WORD:

FLY IN ON THE FRITZ: The theater owners trade association fly in may be a victim of the shutdown. http://bit.ly/16GwupI

WHITTEMORE CASE: Nevada power lobbyist Harvey Whittemore has been sentenced to two years in prison and fined $100,000 for making illegal campaign contributions to Sen. Harry Reid. USA Today: http://usat.ly/16GvHFn

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